<ul><li>US has not notified SL about sanctions list, claims Dep. Min.</li><li>Sanctioned tankers keep station off Galle Port, just outside 12 nmi limit</li><li>Concerns over offshore support services and their banks violating US sanctions</li><li>Tankers being closely monitored: Defence official</li></ul> Sri Lankan entities that offer services to US-sanctioned vessels and banks which enable such activities may run the risk of backlash by the global power, with Sri Lanka yet to warn local entities about the risks, while the Ministry of Ports and Shipping awaits notification about sanctions from the US authorities, The Sunday Morning learns.This, as over a dozen – 16 by our last count – Iranian-flagged Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) tankers idle at the edge of Sri Lankan waters for weeks, some for over a month.A senior official attached to the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) told The Sunday Morning that despite requests for a policy brief and guidelines from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on how to instruct private offshore support services based out of Sri Lankan ports on dealing with requests from such US-sanctioned vessels, clear instructions were yet to be received.Anyone who sets sail from Colombo and heads south will notice a line of large vessels dotting the coast from Hikkaduwa to Habaraduwa. Many mariners and vessels who call at the Colombo Port have wondered why the vessels remain just beyond the horizon and do not enter port.For over a month, over a dozen large crude oil carriers have been arriving off the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka, hovering just outside the 12 nautical mile (nmi) territorial boundary of Sri Lankan waters near the Port of Galle.&nbsp;As of Friday (21) afternoon, The Sunday Morning tracked 16 Iranian-flagged tankers station-keeping in a picket line formation off the Port of Galle using open-source ship tracking platforms. Such tankers are suspected of moving Iranian oil to buyers around the world in breach of US sanctions, while some breach United Nations (UN) sanctions.These giant 333-metre-long behemoths are suspected to be part of Iran’s ‘dark fleet’ and are under sanctions by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The US OFAC has a list of vessels, aircraft, companies, persons, and assets which are sanctioned, and is readily accessible to the public.Responding to a question, Deputy Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku told The Sunday Morning that the Iranian tankers remained outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters and acknowledged that any private companies that provided them services and banks which enabled such actions ran the risk of US sanctions.“We don’t have a means of knowing which vessels are sanctioned by the US Government. Our Director General of Merchant Shipping only received sanctions lists from the UN. If the US, through its mission in Colombo, informs us via the Foreign Ministry, we can list those vessels as sanctioned. However, we have not been notified as such through the Foreign Ministry. If we get a notification, we can issue a warning to local suppliers at our ports that those vessels are sanctioned. We can act if we are notified officially and then warn the local parties,” Kodithuwakku told The Sunday Morning.When asked if private companies based off the Galle Port were replenishing the 16 tankers, some of which have been idling off Galle since mid-July, Galle Port Resident Manager K.A.K.N.W. Weerasinghe declined to comment.A senior defence official told The Sunday Morning that the Sri Lanka Navy had been monitoring the vessels closely through Maritime Domain Awareness systems, but needed direction from the Government to do anything else. “As they are outside our territorial waters, there is little we can do from a security standpoint,” he opined, but warned that the US Navy had boarded several such tankers in international waters south of Sri Lanka and commandeered the vessels as they were under sanction.He added: “Let’s hope nothing like that happens off Galle. What if the Iranians have orders to resist? If there is a firefight, we may have a tanker fire like that of the MT New Diamond in 2020 or worse, and a crude oil spill. We don’t have the capacity to deal with a crude oil spill offshore. We will need help like last time.”According to Charlie Brown, Senior Adviser to United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a nonprofit and non-partisan policy organisation, and Director of Southeast Asia Regional Programmes at the Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies (YCAPS), many of the sanctioned Iranian tankers may be biding their time, waiting for the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian ports to become accessible.&nbsp;“They are here loitering after conducting ship-to-ship transfer of oil in the Malaysian Eastern Outer Port Limits (EOPL). They would normally return to Iran, but due to the blockade, they are not attempting to return and therefore are loitering until they can return. It is unlikely that they will conduct Ship-to-Ship (STS) transfers near Sri Lanka. The US blockade is preventing any tankers from departing Iranian waters. So, in the end, they are waiting for the US blockade to be lifted at some point,” Brown opined.“Companies providing logistics support to these ships are risking secondary sanctions by the US OFAC,” he noted, when asked if Sri Lankan companies ran the risk of sanctions if they supplied them. Brown stated that some tankers, such as the MT Amber – IMO number 9357406 – had arrived off Galle Port anchorage on 16 July, over a month ago.Attempts to contact the SLPA Chairman regarding the issue failed. SLPA Managing Director Ganaka Hemachandra thanked The Sunday Morning for the information about the tankers but directed us to speak to the Harbour Master about services offered to them. The SLPA Harbour Master was not reachable for comment. Multiple attempts to contact the Director General of Merchant Shipping also failed.&nbsp;Attempts to contact Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath and Deputy Minister Arun Hemachandra on the topic proved futile. The Sunday Morning also reached out to the US Embassy to find out if Washington had informed Colombo about the sanctioned vessels and was yet to receive a response at the time of going to print.

US sanctions: Dozen Iranian tankers off Galle

<ul><li>Treasury shouldering billions in legacy debt</li><li>Treasury repayments on pre-2024 PMB loans resume</li><li>Audit flags millions in interest and late-payment costs</li><li>PMB says no losses incurred under current administration</li><li>Millers offered up to Rs. 25 m interest-free funding</li></ul>&nbsp;The Government has launched a new interest-free financing scheme for the 2026 Yala paddy procurement programme. This, as audit findings reveal that delays in settling previous loans obtained for paddy purchases have resulted in hundreds of millions of rupees in additional interest and late-payment charges, while the Treasury continues to shoulder billions of rupees in legacy debt.The Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development has launched the rapid paddy procurement programme for the 2026 Yala season with the stated objective of securing fair prices for farmers while ensuring that rice reaches consumers at affordable prices.Under the new programme, registered small and medium-scale paddy mill owners and cooperative societies operating mills with a maximum daily capacity of 25 MT will be eligible for interest-free concessionary funding of up to Rs. 25 million each.The scheme comes against the backdrop of audit findings highlighting significant financial costs arising from previous paddy procurement financing arrangements.According to the audit findings, Rs. 1 billion was obtained from People’s Bank on 28 January 2020 and a further Rs. 840 million on 4 March 2020 for paddy purchases during the 2019/’20 Maha season, backed by a Treasury guarantee and carrying an interest rate of 11%.The loans were originally to be settled in 36 monthly instalments. However, following delays in repayments, the repayment period was extended by another 15 instalments to 51 months. Bank confirmations cited by the audit showed that, as of 31 October 2025, Rs. 539.77 million had been paid as interest and Rs. 5.42 million as late fees, while a further Rs. 508.14 million remained payable.The audit also highlighted a Rs. 6.5 billion loan obtained from the Bank of Ceylon in 11 instalments between 1 February and 11 March 2022 for purchasing paddy during the 2021/’22 Maha season.Although the loan was to be repaid within six monthly instalments, the full amount was only settled on 25 January 2025, more than 34 months later.According to the audit, had the loan been settled within the stipulated period, the interest payable would have amounted to approximately Rs. 49.15 million. However, by the time it was fully repaid, Rs. 272.14 million had been incurred as interest and another Rs. 13.85 million as late fees.The audit therefore calculated an additional cost of approximately Rs. 236.84 million due to the failure to settle the loan by the due date.The findings further revealed a substantial longer-term burden arising from pledged loans obtained from the Bank of Ceylon and People’s Bank between 2012 and 2019 for paddy procurement.As the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) was unable to repay these loans, the Treasury had converted them into term loans, with repayments scheduled to continue until 2028.According to the audit, the Treasury had paid approximately Rs. 12.46 billion to the two banks on behalf of the board between 2020 and April 2025. A further Rs. 8.44 billion was expected to be payable from May 2025 through 2028, comprising approximately Rs. 7.11 billion in principal and Rs. 1.33 billion in interest.The audit recommended that loans obtained for paddy procurement be efficiently utilised for their intended purposes and repaid according to schedule.Against this backdrop, the new 2026 Yala programme will involve small- and medium-scale millers and cooperative societies in purchasing paddy at Government-guaranteed prices.When contacted by The Sunday Morning, PMB Chairman Manjula Pinnalanda said that the Treasury had already resumed repayments of loans obtained prior to 2024. He attributed the losses incurred under previous paddy procurement programmes to Government policy decisions that had resulted in paddy being procured at higher prices and the resulting rice being sold at lower prices.“Due to a Government policy decision, paddy procured at a higher rate was resold at a lower rate, and as a result, a huge loss was incurred. However, since the loans were obtained from banks, they have to be repaid,” Pinnalanda said.Asked whether the PMB had incurred any losses under the current administration, Pinnalanda stated that it had not done so thus far. “So far, we have not incurred losses. We also launched a new programme on Friday,” he said.Red and white nadu paddy will be purchased at Rs. 120 per kg, while samba paddy will be purchased at Rs. 130 per kg.Unlike the previous bank-financed arrangements highlighted in the audit, eligible participants under the new scheme will receive interest-free concessionary funds of up to Rs. 25 million.Paddy purchased using the funds must be processed and the resulting rice sold within a maximum of 240 days from the date the funds are received. The full proceeds must subsequently be repaid to the project, without interest, commission, or other charges.The programme, which commenced on 12 August, will be implemented through district secretaries and the Department of Agrarian Development with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation, while the Finance Ministry will oversee its implementation.Eligible mill owners and cooperative societies have been requested to register with their respective district secretariats to participate in the programme.

Govt. moots new paddy procurement scheme

A 15-member Cabinet-approved committee has commenced physical progress interviews with mineral exploration licence holders across the country, marking the start of a sweeping overhaul of Sri Lanka’s decades-old mineral licensing system.The review, launched by the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB), aims to dismantle what officials describe as a speculative licensing regime and replace it with a transparent, competitive procurement process built around a strict value-addition national policy. The physical interviews ran daily from 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. last week, GSMB Director General Kithsiri Bandara said.Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Bandara said that the country’s mineral licensing framework had been heavily exploited for financial speculation rather than genuine industrial development since 1999.Over the past 27 years, the GSMB has issued 470 exploration licences islandwide covering deposits of sand, graphite, phosphate, quartz, and vein quartz. Of these, Bandara revealed, only eight had ever transitioned into active mining operations – six of them State-owned entities, leaving just two private sector operators that have brought an exploration project to fruition.“The remaining 462 licences have been used for something entirely different, something we cannot see openly,” Bandara said.He explained that speculative entities frequently registered dummy companies to secure five-year exploration licences. As a licence neared expiration, instead of investing in mining, holders would let it lapse, only for a front or shell company to reapply for the same plot.“They put these prospects on the stock market, use them for business promotions, and inflate their share values to make money off promotions. They have treated exploration licences like a marketplace commodity,” Bandara said. “For 27–30 years, there has been no actual mining, processing, or export revenue generated for the country from these licences. If they were genuine, mining should have commenced years ago.”For decades, Sri Lanka’s mineral licences were distributed on a first-come, first-served basis – a system the Director General criticised as unfair and exclusionary.“Under the first-come, first-served rule, it wasn’t fair or transparent. The only people who could secure these valuable assets were those who personally knew a high post-holder. If you had no connections, you simply couldn’t enter the industry,” he said.To address this, the GSMB is restructuring how mineral resources are allocated. Under the planned reform, the GSMB itself will take over primary exploration, mapping deposits, drilling to estimate depth and areal extension, analysing mineral purity and quality, and building economic models on each mine’s potential lifespan and commercial viability. Mapped deposits will then be published in the Government gazette to declare them protected mineral zones, preventing unauthorised land use, before being opened to a transparent public procurement process.“We will go through a competitive procurement process to select the most suitable, capable, and responsible party to execute the mining and processing,” Bandara said. “Anyone can apply, and we will select the most responsive and qualified bidder. You won’t need to know me, the Minister, or anyone else.”The 15-member committee is currently sorting all 470 exploration licences into four categories to determine their fate: inactive applicants who have made zero progress; licensees in early exploration stages; companies in advanced stages conducting Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and securing community agreements; and companies that have met all compliance requirements and are positioned to begin processing and value addition. “We can easily deal with them and cancel these licences,” Bandara said of the inactive category.Over the next one to three weeks, the committee will assess whether licensees violated their licence terms or standard norms, based on findings from last week’s hearings. Its recommendations will then be forwarded to the Cabinet of Ministers for endorsement.“We cannot make overnight decisions. We must evaluate them systematically, support those who are genuine, and phase out those who have done nothing,” the Director General said.The revival of mineral exploration licences began in parallel with the Government’s official launch of the updated National Mineral Policy in 2026. Overseen by the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, the new policy came into effect on 1 June, replacing the 27-year-old framework introduced in 1999. The policy prohibits the export of raw minerals without prior local value addition and brings rare earth minerals under a single framework covering the entire mineral lifecycle, from exploration and extraction to processing and export.

National Mineral Policy: Interviews begin with 470 licence holders

More than 81,000 people across seven districts are currently affected by drinking water shortages, with authorities providing water to over 72,000 people as dry conditions continue across parts of the country, as per the Disaster Management Centre (DMC).According to the DMC, as of Friday (21), 25,628 families comprising 81,765 people were affected by drinking water shortages in Ampara, Badulla, Batticaloa, Monaragala, Polonnaruwa, Ratnapura, and Hambantota. Drinking water was being supplied to 23,048 families comprising 72,053 people across 20 divisional secretariat divisions.Monaragala recorded the highest number of people affected at 33,023, followed by Batticaloa with 28,523. Ampara, Badulla, Polonnaruwa, Hambantota, and Ratnapura were also included in the list. Water distribution was being carried out to affected communities in Ampara, Batticaloa, Monaragala, Polonnaruwa, and Ratnapura.However, National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) Chairman Chandana Bandara said that the situation did not currently constitute a widespread water shortage, with shortages mostly affecting two areas in the Monaragala District.“Currently there is a shortage in the Monaragala District, specifically in Monaragala and Bibile. There is no such shortage anywhere else,” Bandara told The Sunday Morning.He said the NWSDB was supplying water by bowsers to the affected areas and had contingency plans in place in case dry conditions were to worsen.“We supply water via bowsers. Right now, there is such an issue in just two small areas in Monaragala. We are supplying water bowsers for that,” he said.Bandara added that the board had programmes in place to respond to potential future shortages during prolonged dry periods.The water shortages come as the Department of Meteorology’s Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre issued an Amber warm weather advisory for the Eastern and North Central Provinces, as well as Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu, and Monaragala.The advisory warned that the daytime Heat Index was predicted to reach the ‘Caution’ level of 39°C to 45°C in the affected areas.Meteorologists have warned that extended exposure or severe physical activity in such conditions may cause physical fatigue, as well as an increase in the risk of muscle and heat cramps.

Drinking water shortage hits over 81,000 people

Sri Lanka’s major and medium irrigation reservoirs have seen storage levels fall to approximately 36% of capacity nationally, with several key agricultural districts recording far steeper declines as the country braces for the onset of an extremely strong El Niño weather pattern, according to the Department of Irrigation.Director General of Irrigation Eng. Kitsiri Weligepolage said that reservoir capacities in Ampara, Batticaloa, and Trincomalee had dropped below 25%, well under the national average.“In some districts, such as Ampara, Batticaloa, and Trincomalee, the reservoir capacity has dropped below 25%,” he said. “We have to manage water within those specific districts because we cannot easily transfer water from other major systems into reservoirs in areas like Ampara.”Trincomalee had only partial connectivity to outside systems, he noted, while Hambantota depended almost entirely on its own internal capacity.Despite the shortfall, the Irrigation Department said that there was no immediate threat to drinking water supplies over the next two months. With the Yala cultivation season largely concluded – around 70% of harvesting has been completed – the department has stopped releasing water for irrigation, preserving remaining stocks for the National Water Supply and Drainage Board and other non-agricultural needs.Some schemes practising mid-season cultivation are still receiving water at intervals, which officials said could be sustained for the next two months. Remaining stocks in the major and medium reservoirs run into the hundreds of thousands of acre-feet, according to the department, though Weligepolage cautioned that the 36% figure excluded the thousands of small tanks across the country, for which no centralised data existed, warning that a single national capacity figure could misrepresent conditions on the ground.With staff freed up by the pause in irrigation releases, the department has redirected personnel to repair canal networks and structures damaged in earlier disasters. “Since water releases for cultivation have concluded in most areas, we have directed our entire staff towards other essential tasks,” Weligepolage said. “We are currently carrying out urgent maintenance and repairing various structures in our schemes that have been damaged by disasters in the past.”Planning is also underway for the 2026/2027 Maha season, with cultivation set to begin as early as 1 October across 79 major schemes covering some 300,000 acres, including 29 under the Mahaweli Authority, in an effort to get ahead of an anticipated dry phase in early 2027.A water deficit is still projected for a further 400,000–450,000 acres, which officials expect to be addressed if forecast rains materialise in late September and October. Exact timing for the new season will be decided at district-level meetings rather than through a single national directive.Minister of Environment Dr. Dammika Patabendi told The Sunday Morning that based on information available at present at local and international levels, the ministerial committee meeting on Monday (17) had determined that the El Niño event had intensified from strong to an extremely strong status – a condition not witnessed in Sri Lanka in around 75 years. He added that its peak impact, earlier expected in November, was now forecast to arrive sooner.Accordingly, global climate models put a 17% probability on this El Niño exceeding all precedents of the past 75 years, particularly between October and December.Citing the Department of Meteorology, Patabendi outlined a three-phase outlook: suppressed rainfall across the Northern, Eastern, and North Central Provinces and the Monaragala District through August and September; above-normal rainfall, storms, landslides, and floods between October and December, driven by a positive Indian Ocean Dipole; and a severe dry phase from February to April next year, carrying a 97% probability of occurring in the first quarter, with sharply reduced rainfall and extreme temperatures.He also said that the current dry spell had already affected 81,605 people from 25,563 families across 22 divisional secretariat divisions in seven districts – Ampara, Batticaloa, Monaragala, Badulla, Hambantota, Ratnapura, and Polonnaruwa.The Government has allocated Rs. 4,800 million this year for drought relief, including daily water distribution allowances, as well as for subsequent flood and heavy-rain response.Meanwhile, the Mahaweli Water Management Secretariat earlier this week told the media that the water capacity of reservoirs controlled by the secretariat remained at 57%. According to the secretariat, the water level in Mahaweli reservoirs used for power generation stands at 65%.

El Niño: Reservoirs drop to 36%

The Public Service Commission (PSC) is expected to approve the appointment of 32 State Counsel to the Attorney General’s (AG) Department by next week, amid concerns over vacancies in the department’s State Counsel cadre, with staff capacity gaps placing a massive caseload on each prosecutor.PSC Secretary W.H.M.M.C.K. Dayaratne told The Sunday Morning that there had been no delay on the commission’s part in processing matters concerning the AG’s Department, adding that the 32 appointments were the only outstanding matter before the PSC.“There are no delays in approvals. We can give the approval for that by next week,” Dayaratne said.She added that other matters submitted by the department, including promotions involving Deputy Solicitors General, Senior Deputy Solicitors General, and Additional Solicitors General, had already been processed and approved.Dayaratne said that the 32 appointments were intended to fill existing State Counsel vacancies and expressed confidence that the department’s immediate staffing concerns would ease once the appointments were finalised.Meanwhile, a senior official of the AG’s Department told The Sunday Morning that the department had initially faced 77 vacancies in the State Counsel cadre. “We had 77 vacancies for State Counsel. We have just taken 32, but we are waiting for the PSC to approve their appointments,” the official said.However, the department could face a further shortage in the State Counsel cadre, with 37 serving State Counsel due to be promoted as Senior State Counsel.

PSC to approve 32 State Counsel appointments

The report of a committee appointed to formulate a systematic mechanism for granting presidential pardons to prisoners sentenced to death and life imprisonment is to be submitted to the Cabinet soon, according to Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara.A committee chaired by retired Supreme Court Justice S. Thurairaja was appointed in 2025 to formulate a proper mechanism for granting presidential pardons to prisoners sentenced to death and life imprisonment.Following a 10-month study, the committee submitted its report to the Justice Minister in July, recommending a formal procedure for presidential pardons, commuting death sentences to life imprisonment, reducing life sentences to 20 years, and allowing prisoners to go on home leave.The Minister said the recommendations would be presented to the Cabinet with a view to establishing a formal general pardon mechanism through which prisoners sentenced to death and life imprisonment could eventually be released.Nanayakkara said an inter-agency mechanism had also been established, initially covering the Welikada Prison complex, to identify emerging problems within prisons, coordinate emergency responses, and streamline inmate welfare.A meeting on establishing the mechanism was held at Welikada Prison Headquarters on Thursday (20), attended by Nanayakkara, Acting Commissioner General of Prisons Prasad Hemantha Kumara, senior Prisons Department officials, Deputy General Officer Commanding of the 14 Infantry Division Major General Asitha Pushpakumara, and Colombo Additional District Secretary Kanchana Gunawardena.Separately, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) held discussions with key State authorities on measures to prevent a recurrence of prison violence, following its investigations into unrest at the Negombo and Mahara Prisons, HRCSL Media Spokesperson and Director – Research and Monitoring Nihal Chandrasiri said.The commission had launched an investigation into violence at the Negombo Prison on 5 and 6 July, and subsequently into unrest at several other prisons, including the Mahara Prison on 18 August. The discussions were attended by representatives of the Secretaries to the Ministries of Defence, Justice, and Public Security, senior Police officials, the Acting Commissioner General of Prisons, and several commissioners of prisons, with the HRCSL represented by its Chairperson, commissioners, and officers.During the meeting, the HRCSL Chairman referred to a 2018 study on prisons and detention centres and its 2020 recommendations, noting that the commission had previously proposed that these be incorporated into the strategic plans for 2021 and 2025. Discussions covered inmate and officer safety, overcrowding, and inadequate sanitary facilities.Officials cited new prison construction in Bogambara and Mahamodara; relocation of the Galle, Matara, and Wariyapola Prisons; new buildings in Kalutara and Boossa; and legal and technological measures – including community service and house arrest – to ease overcrowding.&nbsp;The Ministry of Justice said that vacancies at the Government Analyst’s Department were being filled to speed up drug-related case analysis, while the commission called for body scanners to reduce invasive searches. On complaints of assault by officials, the Acting Commissioner General of Prisons said an internal investigation was underway and disciplinary action would follow. The HRCSL’s own investigations continue.Meanwhile, the Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners (CPRP) has demanded immediate State protection for inmate victims and eyewitnesses of the recent prison clashes, warning that witnesses remain in the custody of the same officers accused of carrying out the abuse.&nbsp;In a letter dated 21 August addressed to National Authority for the Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses Chairman, former Justice Vikum Kaluarachchi, the CPRP said that the crisis stemmed from unrest between July and early August at the Negombo, Mahara, Colombo New Magazine, Kuruwita, and Pallansena Prisons, resulting in 34 deaths and over 100 injuries.CPRP Chairman Senaka Perera said that transferred inmates were subsequently tortured and harassed at receiving facilities, allegations first raised by a bailed eyewitness and echoed by prisoners’ families.Perera stated that the inmates lacked adequate protection and faced intimidation aimed at suppressing testimony, in violation of the Assistance to and Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses Act No.10 of 2023.The CPRP has requested seven urgent measures, including confidential legal access, safe grievance mechanisms, physical separation from implicated officers, threat assessments, and a dedicated protection officer, warning that failure to act endangers their physical safety and undermines the credibility of future testimony.Multiple attempts to contact former Justice Kaluarachchi were unsuccessful.

Presidential pardons: Reform recommendations to Cabinet soon

The international competitive bidding process for the establishment of a 250 MW/1,000 MWh standalone Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is to close within the first week of September, with the deadline having been extended by three weeks, the National System Operator (NSO) has stated.The BESS procurement tender was launched by the NSO in mid-July this year. According to the NSO, it is part of an initiative to stabilise the growth of renewable energy.However, although the submissions for tenders were to close by 14 August, the project’s Addendum No. 1 issued by the Ministry of Energy on 7 August extended the deadline to 4 September, with the Request for Proposal document being available until 3 September.When contacted by The Sunday Morning, NSO Chairman Dr. Pradeep Perera noted that once the tender closed in September, it would be awarded to the relevant bidder in October. “The BESS will be connected to the system around April 2027,” he stated.&nbsp;Additionally, he noted that the large-scale battery storage facilities were to be established outstation and not within Colombo. “These will be found by the developers themselves; they do not require very large lands. Typically, only a land area of about 50 perches is needed for batteries, unlike for solar,” Dr. Perera said.As stated in the addendum, the land for the project is to be located within a maximum distance of 5 km from the designated grid substation.This initial utility-scale standalone BESS procurement round kicked off in late 2025, according to Dr. Perera, to curb expensive evening peak fossil fuel generation and expand grid capacity. Initial tenders for the 160 MW/640 MWh procurement were invited on 30 July 2025, yielding 153 bids for 16 grid substations.“The first one of those substations will be commissioned soon,” he said. “The remaining ones will all be commissioned around September or early October. Through that, we will integrate 16 batteries – which is 160 MW – into the system.”He added that the active procurement of 250 MW was expected in April next year and that a total of around 560 MW was expected to be added to the system by that time.

Power storage: Bidding for 250 MW BESS to close in Sept.

<a href="https://www.facebook.com/adaderana" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://adaderana.lk/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fads%2Fmiddle-ad-02.png&amp;w=1280&amp;q=75"></a>President Anura Kumara Dissanayake says that the passing of the distinguished singer Nanda Malini, whose exceptional musical talent became a powerful voice for social justice and fairness and who inspired generations to envision a better and more just society, has deeply saddened the people of Sri Lanka.&nbsp;&nbsp;From an early age, Nanda Malini established a distinctive identity in Sri Lanka’s musical landscape. However, her life and legacy extended far beyond that of a singer, the President said, issuing a condolence message on Saturday (22).&nbsp;&nbsp;The President’s condolence message further said:&nbsp;“By the 1980s, she had emerged as a committed civic activist who courageously devoted herself to helping lift Sri Lankan society from the deep social and political turmoil of the time, often at great personal risk.&nbsp;&nbsp;Through her unwavering commitment to her principles, she earned a profound and enduring place in the hearts of Sri Lanka’s progressive community. Until the end of her life, she remained steadfast in her role as a principled and truthful voice, never compromising the values to which she had devoted herself.&nbsp;Shaped by the experiences of her own life, Dr Nanda Malini understood the hardships, tears and struggles of ordinary people. She courageously stood up for the rights of the oppressed, challenging repressive state machinery. Her melodious voice became a clarion call, urging people to resist the oppression they endured. Deeply moved by the tragic circumstances facing her motherland and the suffering of its people, Nanda Malini raised her voice against oppressive political authority through her renowned collection “Sathye Geethaya” (Songs of Truth). The living witnesses of that era will attest that her voice was far more than a gentle breeze (Pawana), it became a powerful storm. Despite censorship and numerous obstacles, her gentle yet profound voice resonated with the hearts of the people. During some of the darkest and most difficult periods, it gave them the strength to endure their suffering and remain steadfast until the light of a better tomorrow emerged. I gratefully remember this enduring contribution to our nation and its people.&nbsp;Like the white attires she wore, Dr Nanda Malini remained dignified, steadfast in her principles and untainted by narrow personal interests. The legacy of an artist does not come to an end when their breath ceases to mingle with the air, it endures until the creations they have gifted to society fade from the hearts and memories of the people. In this sense, there can be no doubt that the immortal name of Nanda Malini, a truly exceptional singer and a living legend of Sri Lankan music, will never fade from our hearts.&nbsp;&nbsp;I extend my deepest condolences to all members of Dr Nanda Malini’s family, her relatives, friends, fellow artists and the countless admirers who mourn her passing.&nbsp;Dr Nanda Malini, you have left a profound mark of commitment to the people upon Sri Lanka’s social and cultural fabric and awakened the hearts and minds of countless people through your wisdom. As you take your leave from this nation, your lifelong service to the country will remain forever etched upon this land and in the collective memory of its people.”&nbsp;

US sanctions: Dozen Iranian tankers off Galle

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El Niño: Reservoirs drop to 36 ...

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PSC to approve 32 State Counse ...

Presidential pardons: Reform recommendations to Cabinet soon

Presidential pardons: Reform r ...

Power storage: Bidding for 250 MW BESS to close in Sept.

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President’s condolence message on the passing of Nanda Malini

President’s condolence message ...

Govt. moots new paddy procurement scheme

Govt. moots new paddy procurem ...

National Mineral Policy: Interviews begin with 470 licence holders

National Mineral Policy: Inter ...

Drinking water shortage hits over 81,000 people

Drinking water shortage hits o ...

El Niño: Reservoirs drop to 36%

El Niño: Reservoirs drop to 36 ...

PSC to approve 32 State Counsel appointments

PSC to approve 32 State Counse ...

Presidential pardons: Reform recommendations to Cabinet soon

Presidential pardons: Reform r ...

Power storage: Bidding for 250 MW BESS to close in Sept.

Power storage: Bidding for 250 ...

President’s condolence message on the passing of Nanda Malini

President’s condolence message ...

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Govt. moots new paddy procurement scheme

Govt. moots new paddy procurem ...

National Mineral Policy: Interviews begin with 470 licence holders

National Mineral Policy: Inter ...

Bringing the news paper to your fingertips

Drinking water shortage hits over 81,000 people

Drinking water shortage hits o ...

El Niño: Reservoirs drop to 36%

El Niño: Reservoirs drop to 36 ...

PSC to approve 32 State Counsel appointments

PSC to approve 32 State Counse ...

Presidential pardons: Reform recommendations to Cabinet soon

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